Women and the American Revolution Essay

However, the revolution didn’t encourage both sexes to reevaluate the women’s right. It very little changed happen women still had the same basic rights like before. However, Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, became an early supporter of women's rights when she prompted her husband to "REMEMBER THE LADIES" when starting up a new government. Even though Adams passed a new law that protects some women from bad husband this new law did not protect the single women. Also, women need and wanted to have the same right as men. Women have the same capacity and the same intellectual as men, there is no difference. The only difference between women and men that men have access to education and have more power than women before the American Revolution, this changed after women started to realize that they could have the same rights as men. Furthermore, American women deserve to have the same right. If the republic were to succeed, women must be educated in quality so they could teach their children how

During the American Revolution, not only did men have to face the struggles of war time atmosphere, but women had to as well. The country during the war was divided into three different groups of people; the loyalists, the patriots and the remaining people who did not care. Catherine Van Cortlandt, a loyalist had to endure different struggles then the patriot women Eliza Pinckney and Abigail Adams. However, parts of their stories are similar when it came to their family struggles.

From the social viewpoint the war changed the lives and rights of women all across the United States. Many of the husbands left to fight in the Revolutionary war leaving countless women in charge of farms and businesses, roles which they were not accustomed to. Although the war did little to change women’s rights, in some states it did become possible for women to divorce and in new jersey women even obtained the right to vote which was way out of the ordinary in that time. Before the war both men and women viewed the wife as an obedient and serving spouse that raised the children and took care of the house. But the revolution encouraged people of both genders to reconsider the contribution of women to the family and society.

One way that women helped out in the war was that they went directly to the source--by dressing up as men and going to fight in the front lines, women (e.g.

     The revolution also changes the status of women in the 15 years following the American Revolution. There was a push to allow for better women’s education. In 1789, Massachusetts passed a law insisting elementary schools be open to both girls and boys. Girls from rich families had the ability to receive a good education on subjects including math, history and geography. A large advocate of women’s education was Judith Sargent Murray, who argued men and women had equal intellectual abilities, but women’s lack of chances is what made them appear inferior. Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, also called for legal reform in order to prevent male tyranny over women. Some even went further and called for the right of women to vote. This was still denied to women, however, and it would not be over 100 years later until they were granted this right. Despite some small advances for women’s rights, there was still a notion of inferiority to men.

Two important socio-economic issues the founding fathers discussed were the rights of women and slavery. Women’s roles increased greatly during the revolution. While me were away fighting or running the country, women were at home running and defending the farm. This can be seen in the woodcut (Document A) and in Abigail Adam’s letters to Thomas Jefferson (Document G). Women had, for a time, the right to vote in New Jersey. The revolution also increased the education of women and encouraged them to be more involved in public life. However, all women were not content to go back to their household chores after the revolution as seen by Molly Wallace who says “if [taught] to read, why not speak?” (Document J), illustrating how some women wanted to further their domestic roles and play a larger role in society.

The term Republican Motherhood is not misleading; women during the revolutionary war raised their family to be patriotic towards the republic. They attended social gathering and conversed with and influenced politicians from around the world. Women involved with the Republican Motherhood were just as important in building this nation to what it is as the men were.

The American Revolution, which happened during the last half of the eighteenth century, reshaped many aspects of life in America. The desire of the Founding Fathers to make America a republic played a very significant part in changing the role of women after the Revolution. The role of women as wives became more important as an emphasis on virtue was established; women were encouraged to find virtuous husbands and utilize their seductive nature to keep men virtuous. The roles of women as mothers also became more important in the republic, as patriarchy loosened and mothers were depended on to educate their children in the republican way. And finally, the role of women in politics was theoretically reduced due to the increasing demands of

Women in colonial America played revolutionary roles. They played roles that were always changing. “All men are created equal.” It’s the basis in which America was built, but what about the women? Without women, men wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. But what exactly did women do? Well, different races had different roles to play within their population(WiseGEEK).

The role of women in the Early Republic is a topic mostly overlooked by historians when dealing with this era of American history. The triumphs of the Revolution and the early events of the new nation were done solely by men. However, women had their own political societies and even participated in the Revolution. Women's roles began to take a major turn after the war with Great Britain. This was due in part to their involvement in the war and female patriotism. Others believed it was due to the easier access to formal education for young women. Whatever the reason, it inspired women to challenge the social structure of the Early Republic. The roles of women were changing in the Early Republic. However, progress was slow and little change

Sarah Benjamin went before the deposition on the twentieth day of November, 1837 in the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. This deposition intended to validate claims for receiving pension benefits owed to Mrs. Benjamin from a previous marriage; an Aaron Osborn, veteran of the Revolutionary War. Her case founded itself on the numerous acts of Congress over the previous decade--in particular the Comprehensive Pension Act of 1832 and subsequent acts of Congress from July 4, 1836 and March 3, 1837--allowing for the first time yearly grants to all who served in the Continental Army for a period of six months or more. These acts supplanted Sarah Benjamin's case because applicants no longer required disability or monetary

At the beginning of the struggle in America, women’s citizenship was not given serious consideration. Women were invisible in the political sphere and were seen to have no capacity where politics were concerned. When the war occurred, the role of women vastly changed. They were leaders off the battlefield. Women began to question their role in the political arena. Could a woman have a political thought? Could women be patriots? Must a wife’s political loyalty be the same as her husband’s? Once the Revolution succeeded, these questions were pushed away. Women had played the role of “Republican Mother” and completed their duty in helping the war effort, they did not need a more significant political role. Although women realized they had the potential to have a political mind, Kerber uses the legal processes of confiscation, coverture, and divorce to explain how women’s political identities were still tied to the role of wife. The American Revolution was a fight for liberty and freedom, unless you were a woman. As long as those three processes remained intact women would not gain freedom.

Republican Motherhood is a term used to describe women’s attitudes and roles before, during, and after the American Revolution. These republican mothers, daughters of patriots, were raised with the ideals of republicanism, and were expected to pass on these ideals to the next generation. Republican Motherhood enforced the concept that a domestic women’s domain of life should be kept somewhat separate from men, and that their role was extremely important in raising the next generation. Republican Motherhood also encouraged that women should be educated, which added a sense of importance and dignity that had been absent from previous conceptions of women’s work. John Adams and his wife, Abigail are exemplary of Republican Motherhood. Abigail Smith was born in 1744 in Massachusetts, into a well-known and respected family. On her mother’s side were descendants of a family of great prestige, and her father was a Congregational minister, who was the leader in a society. Like other women of her time, Smith lacked education, but she was a curious and intelligent person and she read enthusiastically the books that she could get access to. Reading led her to meeting John Adams, and they got married in 1764. John Adams’ career was in politics, so Abigail was kept away from her husband for long periods of time as he served the country. Abigail Adams died in 1818, after 17 years of peaceful retirement with her husband in Quincy, Massachusetts. I truly believe that Abigail and

When looking at political progress, no concrete evidence can be given to show that women were making progress. However, it's more about how they perceived themselves in the political realm as compared to what we can see in books now. Female patriots were able to find particular expression in their support of the colonial boycott of tea and other items taxed by the Townshend Act of 1767. The male leaders of the boycott "recognized that they needed women's cooperation to ensure that Americans would comply with the request to forgo the use of tea and luxury goods" This marked a movement away from female noninvolvement in public affairs. In 1774, an agreement was signed by fifty-one female North Carolinians declaring their "sincere adherence" to the resolutions of the provincial congress and declared it their "duty" to do "every thing as far as lies in our power" to support the "publick good." This was not taken seriously by the men, but it was the first time women were able to do something like this (actively participate in politics). For the first time, women were taking upon themselves a "duty" to work for the common good of America. Never before had they taken on the

Throughout history it has been seen that women have a sound role to play in positive movements against governments. There is a saying, “Behind every great man is a great woman”. There have been many events that could only be done by women to get a progressive transformation in society. There are instances where women and men had to unite. Women took part in many events that transpired in the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Even though women were encouraged to hold down the household this was not there only role as they also were the reinforcement section of the working force, women were the back bone of many revolutions. There are many important women such as Olympe de Goupes, also many infamous events, but the most memorable actions in which women were involved might have been the March to Versailles and the Peterloo Massacre.